


My next life as Anora Mac Tir

by Iarinthel



Category: Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Modern Girl in Thedas, Reincarnation, Self-Insert
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-11
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-18 01:47:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29975511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Iarinthel/pseuds/Iarinthel
Summary: My name is Anora Mac Tir, and I have a little under 3 decades to prepare Ferelden for the Fifth Blight.
Relationships: Anora Mac Tir/Cailan Theirin
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Before anyone asks, yes I know this has been written before. No, I’m not plagiarizing their work.

I don’t actually remember how I died the first time around.

The last thing I remembered was the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 and the ensuing lockdowns it caused. Last I knew I was at home, sleeping off my exhaustion.

When I woke up, I was somewhere else entirely. Somewhere that didn’t have central heating, because the first thing I noticed was how cold it is. The second thing that I noticed is that my eyesight has somehow improved well enough that I don’t need to wear glasses anymore. The third and last thing of note was that I had somehow shrunk; and as someone who only grew to be 5 feet in height at most I can tell you that getting even _shorter_ overnight is something I would definitely notice.

It was only after I met Loghain Mac Tir that I finally figured out when, where and who I am.

“Anora, time to get up. Your archery lessons are beginning soon.”

My name is Anora Mac Tir, and I have a little under 3 decades to prepare Ferelden for the Fifth Blight.


	2. Chapter 2

Thankfully, I regained my memories long before the Fifth Blight was underway. I was 8 years old at the time as a matter of fact.

I was able to camouflage my research into Thedas as studying history in the library for a few hours. My teacher, a human man in robes named Elias, was pleased by my voracious appetite when it comes to learning Ferelden’s history. He recommended that I read a few noteworthy books that we had available in Gwaren castle. Some dry tomes about the Theirin dynasty, a few texts about the general history of Ferelden as a country, and a number of codex pages about the Orlesian occupation. When I finished reading all of it, I made notes about information I hadn’t learned about in the game’s codex.

Calenhad is apparently considered a just, wise, and kind ruler...by secondhand accounts written decades after he died. Which makes the claims made in said accounts dubious at best.Unfortunately, there are no firsthand accounts of his rule written by a peer. If nothing else, giving Calenhad’s rule legitimacy by making his family into some sort of dynasty that lasts centuries will at least give them a thin veneer of respectability amongst those that believe this drivel.

I didn’t point this out to Elias of course. He’s a bit too patriotic to even humour my ’foolish notions’ of propaganda and political rhetoric evident in my education. He’s an able enough tutor, but he doesn’t tend to listen to me when I have something to say so I tend to keep quiet in his presence.

In my spare time I’ve been exploring often enough to know that the castle is big and sprawling and old. Old enough that I’m sure that there’s a few spirits lurking in the other side of the Veil. The castle’s grey brick walls make it look imposing and unfortunately is terrible for insulation. There’s also a respectable amount of servants cleaning, cooking, and maintaining the sundry items within. As one would expect of any fantasy medieval castle of course.

Loghain is understandably busy most days, leaving the castle under the care of his steward and only staying overnight when Maric doesn’t need him in court. Him greeting me and telling me I have archery lessons is a very rare experience, as it turns out.

As for who I spend the most time with, other than Elias I do have a human nurse named Alma who keeps an eye on me, making sure that I eat 3 meals a day and is in charge of my handmaiden and a lady-in-waiting. My handmaiden is an elf named Atheris who tends to my needs by bringing to me my food, sends my clothes to be cleaned, and she cleans my room when I’m not inside sleeping. My lady-in-waiting is a human girl named Katharine Bryland, second daughter of Leonas Bryland. She’s the one who helps me with my etiquette lessons, buys my notebooks, and writes my letters. Clearly she’s been educated as a daughter of an Arl, as she even knows how to write with a quill.

Which I find utterly ridiculous by the way. Of all things one could use as a writing implement, you chose a bird feather?

I’m going to invent fountain pens here, if only so that I can use one. I refuse to use bird feathers for my writing. I deserve a better tool than that!

In all the fanfics, anime, and manga I’ve read the reincarnated use their knowledge of a modern era to technologically uplift their new home. Well enough to live a more comfortable life. I wonder if I could do that? I’m not exactly a pioneer or inventor of any sort, but I do have a lot of information in my head that might be useful here.

Thank the Maker I was born a female human noble. I can hire professionals to make the things I want once I have my own money.

At the very least, I’m going to have someone under my employment invent a shower and a toilet. Hell, making plumbing more accessible might be helpful in keeping the Blight from killing so many when it inevitably hits Ferelden. If nothing else, having more people clean themselves more often might get rid of the stink of wet dog that’s so pervasive here.

For now though, I need to focus on my lessons as a future Queen of Ferelden. Diplomacy, law, and politics along with lessons on how to use a sword, fight with a bow, and comport myself as befitting a noble will probably save my life in the future. It’s tedious as hell but I know what’s in store for me in the future. I’m not going to shoot myself in the foot now by not paying attention.

Maker willing, I’ll be able to remember all of it when I’m on the Ferelden throne.

I know the stakes, and I know it’s stacked against me. But I’ll be damned if I let myself die as easily as the last time.

If I can’t be the Hero of Ferelden, I’ll settle for ruling it instead.


	3. Chapter 3

Of course, since Maric and Loghain are friends it’s inevitable that I’d meet Cailan. Parents who are friends have a tendency of expecting their children to get along, or at the very least expect them to be civil to each other in parties.

King Maric and his son the Crown Prince Cailan is visitingGwaren this summer, which is a big deal for months before the actual visit amongst the castle servants. Every nook and cranny had to be cleaned, food had to be stockpiled to last, along with rooms being arranged to be livable for the king, his son, and his court. Kings can’t visit even his closest friend without the occasion becoming a very big affair for all involved. The court must come with him, because a king can’t just travel on his own even if he wanted to. Visiting a noble household with only his son would be a terrible insult to the noble they’re visiting, or at the very least that’s how other nobles would see it. It would be seen as scandalous in the eyes of his court if he were to secretly meet his friend without any of his hangers-on. Why it would be considered scandalous though is beyond me.

The rules would be different if it was anyone but a king visiting, like if it were just another teryn visiting Loghain, but it isn’t. In fact it’s going to be a big enough event that Loghain even came back to Gwaren to oversee the festivities that will be occurring that day.

What festivities you ask?

Why, a full blown tourney and fair of course! The teryn must celebrate in the most ostentatious fashion possible for his king and crown prince!The citizens and the king’s court must be fed and entertained, because really there’s a reason that the ancient Roman bread and circus kept their people from revolting for so long. It would be wise to follow our ancestor’s guidance, especially in political policies that clearly worked.

Not to mention that no one will ever turn down free food and a celebration that will likely last for an entire week.

My personal role in the organization of the fair is to assign a rotating schedule for the people who will be setting up booths for food and games so that no one will work for the entire week. Everyone will get a chance to enjoy themselves in the fair, including the staff. The servants seemed relieved when I brought it up, which makes me wonder how the scheduling for them used to be handled before Gwaren was given to Loghain.

Surely they weren’t working the entire week? That would be exhausting, and a surefire way of brewing resentment towards the teryn.

Regardless, I also had to be fitted for new dresses for the occasion. Being seen in my everyday clothes in week long tourney and fair will reflect badly on Loghain, as well as impact Cailan’s first impression of me. I can’t afford to be seen in less than my best. Just because I’m quite sure that King Maric will betrothed me to Cailan doesn’t mean I can just slack off on such an important milestone.

If I can make a good impression on Cailan, it may help me in the long run. Having an adversarial relationship with my future King and husband will be detrimental to my future efforts to prepare Ferelden for the Fifth Blight. Not to mention how much it will influence my day to day life as his Queen and wife.

If I could somehow prevent Cailan from attempting to replace me with Empress Celene that would be a boon. Though if worse comes to worse, I could always hire an Antivan Crow to assassinate him if the darkspawn don’t get to him first.

But that’s for future Anora to contend with. For now, I’ll focus on trying to learn as much as I can about the logistics of event planning. I have a feeling I’ll need this skill as Queen.


End file.
